Bottle or jar stopper



/N VENTO? A TTOHNE YJ Patented Mar. 7, |899. F. MGCARTY.

BOTTLE 0R JAB STOPPER.

(Applicatin Sled Nov. 15, 1898.)

(N0 Modal.)

YH: Nnszm's Firms oo., PNoTaLn'No.. WASHING-ron. n c

ANimm) STATES i APATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MCOARTY, OF MARTINS FERRY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO PEROYBEAUMONT, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

BOTTLE OR JAR STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 620,663, dated March7, 1899. I

Application led November 15, 1898.A Serial No. 696,535. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK MCCARTY, residing at Martins Ferry, in thecounty of Belmont and State of Ohio, have invented a new and ImprovedBottle or J ar Stopper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention while relating generally to an improved closure means forbottles, jars, and other vessels whereby the same may be securelystopped and made air-tight for the purpose of preserving fruit and otherarticles more specifically has for its purpose to provide a closuremeans especially adapted for use as a fruit-j ar stopper.

One of the most serious objections to fruitjars now in general use,particularly those of the Mason type,which have the neckportion blown orotherwise formed with interlocking means, such as threads or lateralprojections, with which laps having screwing or other interlocking meansengage, is that the interlocking portions of the jars or bottles byreason of arapid and economical manner of manufacture are not alwaysuniform,which makes it difficult at times to properly engage the capmembers of the said interlocking means on the bottleneck and frequentlyleaves the caps insecure, producing a very unsatisfactory closure of thejar and even causing the fruit or other contents of the jar to spoil onaccount of the same not being stopped or closed in air-tight. Anotherobjection to such form of jars and closure devices, particularlyrelating to the Mason jar, is that owing to the construction of the capit is difficult to detect immediately after the cap is applied whetherthe same is screwed down tight, such improper capping of the jar beingfrequently difficult to discover until after fermentation of thecontents of the jar has taken place.

My invention primarily seeks to provide a closure or stopper device of avery simple and inexpensive construction which can be quickly fittedair-tight into the bottle-neck and readily removed without the exerciseof strain on the hand, such as is usually necessary in the removal ofthe ordinary screwing cap.

Another and essential feature of my invention is to provide a closuremeans especially 5o adapted for use with bottles or jars having'smooth-that is, non-threaded--necks and which is capable of being soconnected therewith that it can be ascertained at a glance if the sameis adjusted completely air-tight or not.

Vith these objects in view my invention comprehends the peculiar andnovel construction of stopper or closure device such as will be firstdescribed in detail and then speciiic- 6o ally pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a view of a fruit-jar equipped with my improvedstopper device. Fig. 2 is 65 a section of a portion of the jar and thestopper, illustrating the manner of fitting the stopper into thebottle-neck. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the stopper in place. Fig.

4 illustrates the manner in which the stopper 7o can be removed. Fig. 5is a detail view of the stopper. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modifiedform of the same, and Fig. 7 is a detail of another modification thereofhereinafter referred to. Fig. Sillustrates a further modicationhereinafter referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, l indicates the jar or bottle,which hasits neck 2 made with a smooth external and internal face.

The closure device or stopper comprises a 8o bottom or bearing plug 3,made of cork or other material which does not affect the taste of thefruit or other contents. This plug 8, it will be noticed, is of aconsiderably less diameter than the diameter of the bottle-neck, thepurpose of which will presently appear, and the said plug is secured bycement or other means to the under side of the stiffrubber washer ordisk 4, of a slightlygreater diameter than the internal diameter ofthegov bottle-neck.

5 indicates a metal plate which serves as a reinforce to hold the diskagainst the plug 3 and also to prevent the said disk member beingseparated from the plug by reason of use and reuse, which might readilyoccur were the plate omitted, as the rubber disk when pressed down intothe bottle would tend to pull away or separate it from the plug at thepoint indicated by X. It will also be noticed by reference to thedrawings that the plate 5 is of a convexed shape, so as to have aspring-pressure againstthe disk 4, its ends just lapping the outer edgeof the plug 3, at which point the said plate bears against the disk 4with the greatest pressure. The plate 5 may be secured to the disk andplug by a screw 6, as indicated in Fig. 7 but I prefer on the score ofeconomy in manufacture and additional advantages to hold the same inplace by the means shown in Figs. 1 to 6, in-` clusive, which consistsof forming the disk with a vertical bulbular member 4, having a reducedneck 4b, said member 4a also serv-v ing the additional purpose of afinger-piece whereby to easily lift the stopper out of the bottle-neck,such operation being effected by inserting a knife-blade or other thinimplement between one edge of the disk and the bottle-neck, as indicatedin Fig. 4, to permit the air to enter under the stopper and lifting thesame by pulling on the finger member 4,

When arranged as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

the plate 5 is made with a central aperture 5, through which the member4a is squeezed,

and when passed therethrough by reason of its expansion said member willsecurely lock the plate in place, as the contracted neck 4b thereof willlit snugly over the aperture on the plate 5, as shown.

The manner in which my improved stopper is applied to the jar is clearlyillustrated in Fig. 2, byreference to which it will be seen that afterthe jar has been filled to a point near the top the stopper is insertedby pressing the plug down against the fruit and forcing the edgesof thedisk 4 down to the position shown in Fig. 3. It should be stated,however, that the fruit in practice remains uninj ured, as a very littlepressure is applied to the same after the sides of the rubber diskengage the neck, Athe plug portion in the applyin g of the stopperserving more as a guide to properly steady the complete device duringthe operation of placing it in position.

By constructing the stopper in the manner described the same can bereadily pushed into the neck o f the bottle, preferably to a point lowenough so that the finger-piece will not project above the upper end ofthe bottleneck, whereby to admit of the close packing of the jars orbottles upon each other in tiers. Another and important advantage insuch form of closure is that should there be any leak the same can beobserved at a glance.

As the stopper projects entirely within the neck, a pocket or chamber isprovided above it for the insertion of additional sealing means, eithercement or a loose mixture, as the character of the contents of thebottle may make desirable.

By making the plug portion o'f a less diam eter than the bottle-neck acollection-space surrounding the plug is provided, which permits of anygaseous pressure under the stopper exerting force on the plug laterally,and thereby relieve the stopper from receiving the full internalpressure in an outward direction, which would occur if the plug were ofa size to snugly fit within the bottle-neck.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slight modification of my invention. In thisform the entire body of the stopper is made of rubber, theplug portionbeing in this form preferably covered with some suitable material whichwill not taint the fruitV or other contents by contact therewith.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrateda further modid cation of my invention inwhich the stopper is made of a solid piece of rubber, the body portionof which is made of a convexed form, while the peripheral edgesterminate in a disk rim to engage the sides of the bottle-neck. Bymaking the stopper solid and of conveXed form a suitable central bearingportion is provided to press on the top of the bottle `contents and asurrounding space produced,

and the body by reason of its being of solid rubber having suicientrigidity, so that the use of the bearing=plate 5 therewith can bedispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A stopper, comprising a body portion of less diameter than thebottle-neck which it is adapted to fit, whereby the contents ofthebottle can pass between the lower part of the stopper portion and thebottle-neck when squeezed up by the pressure of the stopperthereagainst, said stopper portion having. a grip member at the top,whereby it can be withdrawn from the bottle; and an elastic annular rimforming a part of the stopper-body and disposedat a point below the grippor-V tion thereof, said elastic rim being of greater' diameter than thebottle=neck it is to fit, all being arranged substantially as shown andfor the purposes described.

2. A stopper, comprising an elastic disk of greater diameter than thebottle-neck whichA it is constructed to fit; a plug of less diameterthan the bottle-neck; a metal spring held on the disk to press itagainst the plug member and means for securing the several partstogether as and for the purposes described.

3. A stopper, comprising a plug portion, an apertured spring-metal plateand an elastic disk, said disk having an integral nger-piece adapted tobe forced through the aperture in the metal plate and having a reducedneck to engage with and lock the metal plate on the elastic disk, allbeing arranged substantially as shown and described.

4. As a new article; a fruit-jar stopper, comprising a body formed ofelastic material,

IOC

IIC'

said body having a, pendent plug member and the elastic body, all beingarranged substzma an annularly-extended disk portion vat the tially asshown and for the purposes de- 1o upper end thereof, and acentrally-projected scribed.. nger-piece having a neck portion and a 5spring-metal bearing-platecentrally aper- FRANK MCCARTY tured, saidplate being adapted to slip over Witnesses: the elastic linger-piece andbe held locked C. E. SEDGWICK, thereby to rest on the top or diskportion of J. E. REYNOLDS.

